Filmmaker, Kobina deGraft Johnson, and Bronx Net in the United States of America have announced that they received an Artist Employment Program (AEP) grant from Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY).
Designed to support employment opportunities for artists, the program is funding 98 collaborations involving a dynamic group of artists employed by community-based organizations, municipalities, and tribal governments across New York state.
CRNY has awarded a total of $49.9m in funding to support artists’ salaries and benefits, with an additional $11.7m in funding provided to the organizations holding employment.
Creatives Rebuild New York Executive Director Sarah Calderon said: “If we are truly to rebuild our amazing state, we must celebrate artists’ contributions not only to the economy but to what makes us human. The incredible work being funded CRNY’s Artist Employment Program underscores the importance of direct support for both individual artists and the organizations that hold their employment”.
Kobina deGraft Johnson will work with Bronx Net to develop a limited digital series, with an allocated budget to support the collaboration, artists’ salaries, and benefits. Kobina wishes to use this opportunity to build on his plans for Ghanaian Television; to which he’s creating the ‘King of T3ma’ series.
It tells the story of two young men with a sick mother in the hospital and a gambling debt looming over their heads, being left with no option but to work for the most notorious crime boss in ‘T3ma.’
Expressing his excitement, Kobina said, “As an artist, you pray for days like this, having resources to be able to create and explore, but most importantly, revitalize the content on television, especially Ghana’s. It will be a great opportunity to learn about the film and television industry as well”.
The Artist Employment Program is a two-year program that provides funding for 300 artists to work with community-based organizations across New York state. The selected artists receive a $65,000 annual salary, benefits, and dedicated time for their artistic practice. Aside from that, benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance will be supported financially by the project and given through the employer.
Creatives Rebuild New York, which launched in May 2021, is an initiative of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Mellon Foundation said at the time of the launch: “Today brings us one step closer to realizing a vision that was born just months into the pandemic when, through my work on the governor’s [Reimagine New York] commission, it became clear that we needed to address the deep-rooted disconnect causing artists to not be seen as workers and to be compensated as such,” says. As we continue to envision and work towards our post-pandemic reality, it’s critical that we not overlook the artist workers whose labor is an essential part of our economy and whose continued work sustains us in our most joyful and our darkest hours”.
Following the launch of the Guaranteed Income for Artists and Artist Employment programs, CRNY conducted a range of research, and advocacy with an eye toward replicability at the local, state, and national levels.
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